What’s been the Heat’s message to James Johnson? Just be yourself

WASHINGTON — James Johnson didn’t hold back Thursday when asked about his slow start. And for one of the few times so far this season, Johnson didn’t let anything hold him back on the court in Friday’s win over the Wizards.

Just one day after describing his performances to start the year as “terrible” and saying that it’s “killing myself every day, every night,” Johnson played with a free mind in Washington. It resulted in one of the versatile forward’s best performances of the young season.

Johnson, 30, finished with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes off the Heat’s bench Friday. He will look to carry that momentum into Sunday’s home game against the Pacers.

James Johnson #16 of the Miami Heat celebrates after scoring against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena on November 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

“It’s nice to play without thinking,” Johnson said after putting together that impressive stat line. “All these guys believe in me. My teammates, they want it and need it from me. It’s just stepping up, you know. Like I said, it wasn’t my character these last two games. Tonight you guys got to see it.”

Aside from the obvious numbers, one of the most encouraging aspects of Johnson’s performance was his 14 shot attempts. Entering Friday’s contest, Johnson was playing a passive brand of basketball with an average of 5.8 shots over the past four games.

That aggressiveness needs to be part of Johnson’s on-court persona, whether it comes in the form of shot attempts, defense or leadership.

“The J.J. that makes us go is the guy that leads that locker room, and that started yesterday, by stepping in front of all of you and taking responsibility,” coach Erik Spoelstra said to reporters in Washington. “And he didn’t need to do that. We’re not putting it all on J.J. But he has that kind of emotional stability and maturity to set the tone for that locker room, that we need to get better. And you just start with him.

“He brought it yesterday, brought it today, brought an incredible competitive disposition. It’s not whether he scores 20. That’s never been J.J.’s impact on this team. It’s all encompassing — leadership, competitiveness, and having a force of will that the guys follow. And you saw that tonight.”

Johnson’s numbers are very similar to last season — 12.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 14 games this season compared to last year’s 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists. But the expectations are different this season after he signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Heat in July.

Miami doesn’t want Johnson’s new deal to change his game, though. They want him to play like the guy who caught everybody by surprise while on a one-year, $4 million contract with Miami last season.

“We understand that J.J. is important to our success,” said Heat veteran forward Udonis Haslem, who is one of the three team captains along with Goran Dragic and Johnson. “We need him to be in tune mentally. Physically, your body is going to go through a lot of different changes over a long season, injuries and different things like that. So you’re not going to feel great every night. But mentally is where we need J.J. involved every night.

“I just continue to stay on him and tell him, ‘We need you to be 16. Be No. 16. 16 is good enough. 16 is actually more than good enough. You be 16, you give us the best chance we have to win.’”

Dragic said he drove to the airport with Johnson for Thursday’s flight to Washington and shared an important message with him.

“I was just giving him advice, some positivity,” Dragic said of their car ride. “I told him not to take so much negativity because then you get in a bubble and it’s hard to produce. He was just thinking negative things. I told him every game is different and if you make a mistake, put it in a box and remember the good things you did like when you box out, score.”

That’s the message all of Johnson’s Heat teammates have shared with him during his up-and-down start to the season.

“The Dragon came up and talked to me. Hassan, Dion, of course Udonis,” Johnson said of the encouragement he’s received. “Just take heed, play my game and be 16 out there.”

And that’s exactly what Johnson did Friday.

“J.J. is a very instinctual player,” Haslem said. “He has good basketball instincts. He just has to trust his instinct.”

[…] The Heat are coming off their biggest road win of the season, 91-88, at Washington. Miami hopes to keep James Johnson going after the reserve forward scored 20 points against the Wizards, three more than his three previous […]